Need urgent help guys please!!!

[Lexland]

I am in the process of refilling by birfs, like a dumb ass I took these 2 17mm boltsoff the top of the birf not knowing there is a bearing inside, so now I want to put the plate back on, but the bearing is floating inside on the top of something, so I don't know if it supposed to be that way or do I need to pull the bearing out then put it back in?
I don't want it to get crunched by the birf internals. I don't know if it's healthy or not and what should do please help I'm stuck right now

 

[westafari]

The bearing shouldn't fall down inside the birf, it should be nearly level with the top of that opening. It sits in a race and then the piece you removed fits into the center of the bearing.

 

[Lexland]

Somehow I'll have to takr it back appart and pull the bearing all the way up, and then install it back.
I just don't have a good feeling it's back in place right now, even though when I reinstalled smoothly

 

[Lexland]

1. I'll see if I could take a pic tomorrow to show

 

[BILT4ME]

The cap you pulled off has a shouldered pin that inserts into the center of the bearing. There should be a shim under that cap (may be on the bottom one), make sure that you are not pinching or shearing the edge of the shim. If you opened it up, you should take it off, clean it, then put it back. Otherwise, you may have grit (sand, etc.) underneath it that will mess with the tolerances when it is re-tightened. Those bolts go back on at 74 Lb-Ft I believe.

The arm on the bottom has a pin just like that, so that's why everything moved. Nothing will fall inside the knuckle housing UNLESS that bearing is completely tore up and the cage of the bearing is torn or broken and allow the individual rollers to fall out. IF hat is the case, the knuckles (wheels) would have felt like they were about ready to fall off the truck anyway.

The tapered roller bearing sits in the race from the top, so it cannot go into the cavity where the Birf is.

Put it back together and relax. Look at a front axle rebuild video and you can get an idea what is really in there.

Good Luck!

 

[westafari]

Check this diagram: https://forum.ih8mud.com/attachments/front-20knuckle-jpg.56359/

The thing you removed is 43232. The bearing is 45611. It sits in a race lower down (and I'm correcting myself from earlier, it's going to be inset, not level with the opening) in the inner part of the knuckle. This photo shows the inner part of the knuckle. The race for the bearings (the trunnion bearing) are in the holes in the top and bottom of this part of the knuckle. Somebody with way more experience than me might chime in here but if you have the bearing lined up properly the part you removed (43232) will center it in the race and you're good. Hope this helps.

And yeah a pic of what it looks like down in there would help.

 

[OGBeno]

There should be a shim under that cap (may be on the bottom one)

80 series style front SFA set-ups and all other iterations with the same set-up only shim from the top. Nothing on the bottom.

 

[BILT4ME]

80 series style front SFA set-ups and all other iterations with the same set-up only shim from the top. Nothing on the bottom.

Thanks for clarifying Beno!

 

[Lexland]

Ok so the bottom of the opening has a lip where the bearing sits?
When I reinstalled it I tapped it lightly with a wire brush, and it wend in very smoothly.. I guess it aligned itself with the bearing and went in the way it supposed to? And I made sure everything was very clean before I put it back I'm meticulous about that.
So not to worry, everything is good?
My birfs are at 172k, never made any crunching noises or clicking, I'm 99% sure they are in a great condition. I only did pm when got the truck, no leaks and they seem to be still full of grease, I pumped 65 pumps in each using hf grease gun, even though it was fair full..
Thank you for your quick replies. I think I'm going to pull it out of he garage since you guys say it's ok

 

[BILT4ME]

Yep, if it went back together that easily, you're in good shape.